Filed under: February 2020 | Tags: draft mare, good work for idle horses, horse training, Percheron, Percheron Horses, Suffolk Horses, Suffolk Punch
February 19, 2020
As we wait for winter to turn to maple season, we fill our days doing fun stuff. Our Percheron Abby, out for a nice drive on a cold day last Monday.
She works single, double and on either side. I like to keep her fit. This is a good way to do it.
The tire makes just enough resistance to give her something to pull. She lugs it easily. She is a good mare who will also be missed as we transition to the Suffolk Punch breed. I am proud of Abby. She moved here as a youngster. She learned well and became an important part of our farm’s power. She completes a great trio. She just turned six years old.
We drive on the driveways, because mud abounds in the fields. She doesn’t care and even when we have worked for part of a day. She’s not tired…LOL.
Filed under: January 2019 | Tags: Beef Processing, draft hitch, Draft horse training, maple syrup, meat cutting, Percheron Horses, Small Farming
January 17, 2019
Yesterday, I hitched my young filly “Abby” in a three abreast hitch, for the first time. She has been learning very well. Her training has been going very well. This is just part of the training program. She will soon learn to work single too. She is doing well and I am very pleased.
She is the middle horse in the photo above. She is paying attention and learning from me and from her teammates. The nice thing about having Knight and Hoss to teach her, is they can become two very big anchors if needed. She must go where they go, when they go. When I want them to stop and stand, she must do that too. Sometimes, she thinks she’d rather do something else, but good teamwork prevents her from getting into trouble.
I worked earlier this week butchering a steer for my Amish buddy. We had a good day of socializing, and coffee drinking. The steer will be worked up into cuts and burger in the coming days. I traded work with my buddy’s son, for my pat of the butchering. He in turn helped me finish filling the sugarhouse woodshed, yesterday afternoon, just before dark. What a great day!
Our weather is about to turn very cold, close to 0 degrees F. It will be nice to have a good day, inside cutting the meat and visiting. There isn’t much work to that job when many hands help. Good food and conversation is enjoyed by all.
Maple syrup season is under a month away. Abby will help this year. Three on a sap sled is a bit overkill, but having plenty of horsepower is much like cutting meat…many hands make light work. The sled can pull hard at times, but with three horses, leaning into the work together, it’s no job at all.
Filed under: October 2017 | Tags: harness, harness bells, Percheron Horses, RFD TV, Rural Heritage magazine, sleigh bells, Training colts
October 23, 2017
Abby, our Percheron filly, continues to embrace her training. She “won her spurs” so to speak, this week as she starred in an upcoming episode filmed for RFD-TV, by Rural Heritage. The shows they filmed will begin airing early next year. Abby pulled a sled with Duke as we drove around the pasture. She stood while being groomed and hammed it up for the camera in her stall.
She has been exposed to harness and sleigh bells as part of her training. She pays them no mind. I decided to add these two to her harness , as she has now become one of the gang! She is a great addition to the power needs of our farm. I look forward to many years of working with her.
Abby made me look good as I talked about her training. She lowered her head as I talked about her old ways and the displeasure she had over having her ears touched. Now, she gets regular haircuts between her ears. She actually enjoys me brushing and petting her ears. Just one more “boogyman” eliminated from her memory. The new bells will chime as she walks, adding a musical component to our work day. This pleases me as much as she does.
Filed under: April 2016 | Tags: draft horses, home, Percheron Horses, Small Farming
April 28, 2016
She is a beauty and of the same bloodlines of my geldings. She will match my horses to the point where they will be hard to tell apart. She is only a baby, just two years old. She will be a great fit on our farm. Her training begins immediately. She will learn all sorts of things and finally be trained to pull. Our geldings will help train her….and “lift the heavy end” until she catches on.
Her stall will be next to her, soon to be, teammate Duke. A divider wall separates the two teams, but they can all see each other. The roomy stalls are comfortable, but daily turnout is a must. The exercise keeps everybody healthy and who doesn’t like a good roll after work?!
These are exciting times at Riceland Meadows. This evening I got a sneak peek at the first of the documentaries that were shot here by Rural Heritage magazine. The horses looked great and the film crew and editor made me look good to boot. The show will air on RFD-TV on May 10th. (please check RFD-TV for scheduling times) I think this little lady may become a star too in the coming months, Rural Heritage would like to come back for more footage of happenings here on the farm.
A little muddy from her first day, but fitting in nicely. She has accepted her stall and her new place. Welcome home Abby!
RicelandMeadows 